Nissan scraps plans for an off-road EV

The adventure-focused EV won’t be so electric after all. Nissan is scrapping plans for an off-road EV and is now planning to launch the fan-favorite SUV with gas- and hybrid-powered variants.

Nissan cancels Xterra EV for gas and hybrid versions

It was just over a year ago that Nissan announced plans to introduce 10 new or refreshed vehicles in North America by 2027.

Following the updated 2026 LEAF EV, Rouge, Pathfinder, and Sentra, Nissan said an all-new “adventure-focused” electric SUV would join the lineup in 2028.

The rugged new EV, which we later learned would be the next-gen Xterra, was scheduled to be built at Nissan’s Canton, Mississippi, plant in the US with locally sourced batteries from SK On.

Although the Xterra was a hit as a more affordable off-road SUV than the Toyota 4Runner and Ford Bronco, Nissan pulled it from its US lineup after the 2015 model year as more efficient options like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 arrived.

According to Ponz Pandikuthira, senior vice president, chief product and planning officer for Nissan Americas, the Xterra EV won’t be so electric after all.

Pandikuthira told CarandDriver on the sidelines of the New York Auto Show that the upcoming Xterra will be available with a gas-only V6 engine and a V-6 hybrid powertrain, but no purely electric version.

“There will be a pure ICE,” Nissan’s chief product and planning officer said, without any electrical assistance. Pandikuthira added, “Then we can build a hybrid off that.”

As to what type of hybrid remains up in the air. “What that hybrid execution looks like, when it debuts, how many months after the ICE version? Still a work in progress at this point.”

The comments come after Pandikuthira just told MotorTrend in December that the next-gen Xterra “cannot be ICE only,” adding, “Is that an EREV? Is that a parallel hybrid system? Is that a plug-in system? That’s not defined yet. That’s all being actively studied right now.”

Like the Frontier, the upcoming Xterra is expected to use a body-on-frame construction with an updated version of the current 3.8L V-6 engine.

Electrek’s Take

Nissan is already pulling the Ariya from its US lineup following the 2026 model year and scrapped plans to introduce the more affordable LEAF S trim this year.

The LEAF is now the only pure EV Nissan offers in the US. Nissan is among several automakers, including Ford and GM, scaling back major electric vehicle projects in the US following the Trump Administration’s policy changes.

While the 2026 LEAF is still one of the most affordable EVs in the US, alongside the new Chevy Bolt, it won’t be for long, as Kia, Rivian, Toyota, and others launch new, lower-priced alternatives.

The LEAF is a cornerstone of Nissan’s comeback plan, but it’s off to a slow start with just 668 models sold in the first quarter. In comparison, Toyota sold over 10,000 bZ electric SUVs during the same period. By canceling plans for another EV, Nissan is just setting itself further behind.